Innerferrera offers two very different time scales for hiking: the easy forest trail takes 45 minutes, while the Säumerweg stage to Juppa takes five hours and ten minutes. The Valle di Lei dam and the region’s mining history add further points of interest.
Hiking: Short Forest Trail or Long Stage
The Innerferrera forest trail is an easy, two-kilometre route that takes 45 minutes. It leads through meadows and a mystical forest. On the way back, it follows the Alte Averserstrasse or Walserweg back to the starting point in Innerferrera. The route therefore combines a short time commitment with a trail that returns to its starting point.
The Säumerweg Avers stage from Innerferrera to Juppa is considerably longer. It is 15.3 kilometres long and takes five hours and ten minutes. The hike begins in the village of Innerferrera at 1,481 metres, at the PostAuto stop opposite the Alpenrose. Along the way are sinter formations at a warm spring near Starlera. The forest trail and the Säumerweg stage therefore differ both in the time required and in their endpoints: the forest trail returns to Innerferrera, while the stage ends in Juppa.
Valle di Lei Dam: Tour and Exhibition
A member of staff from Kraftwerke Hinterrhein leads tours of the Valle di Lei dam, which take about 1.5 to 2 hours. Registration is required by 4 p.m. on the previous evening; people who have not registered cannot be accommodated. The fixed deadline and stated duration are important points to bear in mind when planning this visit.
The KHR Inforama is located right by the dam. The exhibition presents highlights from KHR’s 50-year history through exhibits, display panels, short films and interactive elements. Admission is free, and visitors can explore without a guide; all the exhibits are self-explanatory. This distinguishes the exhibition from the guided dam tour: visitors can explore it freely and independently, while the tour requires registration.
Mining History at the Museum and on the Circular Trail
The Innerferrera Mining Museum offers guided tours and themed activities; registration is required for tours. The exhibition, redesigned in 2026, invites visitors to discover the history of mining in Ferrera and Schams on a historical tour. The Nurseras circular trail offers another perspective: it follows an old ore trail and passes a former tunnel, excavation sites and the small iron ore deposit “Gruoba”.
The two offerings focus on different things: the museum centres on the exhibition and guided or themed tours, while the circular trail passes historic mining sites. Until the 20th century, ore was mined and smelted in Innerferrera alongside livestock farming; Austrian miners also settled there. The Erzminen Hinterrhein Association works with the Mining Museum to preserve, research and share the region’s mining heritage.
The Village and Other Stages
Innerferrera is a clustered village at the confluence of the Ferrera Rhine and the Niemetbach, on the only valley floor in the upper part of the Ferrera Valley. The village is accessible by PostAuto. For the Säumerweg hike, the starting point is in the village, at the stop opposite the Alpenrose.
The viaMala Alta stage from Montespluga to Innerferrera also passes through the Val Niemet and ends in Innerferrera. Its route and endpoint distinguish it from the stage to Juppa.
Discover more destinations: Masein, Rodels, Ausserferrera, Zillis, Paspels, Sufers, Portein, Flerden
Go to the main travel overview: Hinterrhein.
